Industrial Hemp Production Surges

Industrial Hemp, cousin to Marijuana but without the effect, has been a usable fiber for over 50,000 years. Used to make commercial items ranging from paper, textiles, clothing, plastics, paint, food, animal feed and biofuel, it is seeing a resurgence over other natural fibers such as wood because: it yields four times the crop per acre without need for herbicides and with fewer pesticides, takes only 3-4 months from planting to harvest, in paper production does not require environmentally harmful bleaching agents and can be recycled 3 times more, and as a composite substitute for wood in construction reduces the depletion of old growth forests. Hemp seeds are a rich nutrient in human and animal diets and produce hemp oil for biofuels and CBD medicinals.

Hemp plants produce a range of dry bulk materials. They each present a unique challenge in handling during processing. The plant inner “hurd” and outer “blast” fibers are light [10-12 lbs/cuft] and will not move freely from a storage bin or IBC or feed readily into process. Hemp seeds are free flowing however their natural oil can cause them to set up in storage. The flour and meal made from ground seeds is not dissimilar to wheat and corn varieties and readily hoppered and fed with well proven equipment designs.

Vibra Screw has over 65 years of dry material processing equipment experience. Our Bin Activators are proven on fibers, powders and seeds. Our Bulk Bag Unloaders and Fillers provide complete IBC handing with hoists and vibration or massage paddle discharge. Feeding is accomplished with a wide range of precise volumetric and gravimetric equipment including vibrating tube and pan feeders for fibers and screw and belt feeders for powders and seeds. We complete the line up with Flexible screw conveyors, blenders and full system controls.

We have a full scale test lab where your material can be pilot run and an active R&D program where the latest techniques for improving the processing of materials like Hemp are pioneered every day.

If your business is Hemp processing, contact us with your challenges for a no obligation solution.